ohmidog!

Another movie about a supernatural dog has been released — this time, a vampire dog – but apparently it has skipped theaters and gone straight to DVD.

From the trailer, you can maybe see why.

Given that movies with dogs that talk, and movies that portray dogs as monsters (even lovable ones) are not among our favorite genres, you may ask why even post about “Vampire Dog?”

Partly because, having written a non-fiction book on dog cloning — a practice I see as selfish, ill-conceived, fraught with animal welfare concerns and maybe a little supernatural itself — I feel the need to stay on top of both the real world attempts to make dogs eternal, and any artsy representations thereof in the entertainment industry.

Partly also because we spot a trend, or maybe the beginning of one, or maybe just two of something.

Coming out next month, in theaters, is Frankenweenie — a remake by Tim Burton of his short film about a dog who is reanimated by his young owner.

“Frankenweenie” looks to be a lot more enthralling, and artsy, than ”Vampire Dog,” whose storyline begins when a boy named Ace inherits a dog named Fang from his grandfather in Transylvania.

Fang is not just a “vampire dog,” but also a talking dog (voiced by Norm MacDonald). I’m pretty sure he doesn’t actually survive on blood (either Fang or MacDonald), and that he (Fang) is more comedic than scary.

According to a synopsis on IMDb, Fang arrives as Ace, the boy, is working to fit in at his new school. There’s a mad scientist involved, named Dr. Warhol, who along with her bumbling assistant tries to capture Fang and steal his DNA in hopes of developing the latest anti-aging technology.

Fang, while evading his pursuers, forms an enduring friendship with Ace and the two discover that together they can face their fears and be unstoppable.

Little Red, a former Michael Vick dog, has passed her Canine Good Citizen (CGC) test and found a home.

She is the seventh of the 22 Vick dogs received by Best Friends to be adopted.

A regular volunteer at Best Friends who lives in the midwest had expressed interested in adopting Little Red several months ago. Now that the dog has passed the test, and the paperwork is completed, Little Red has arrived at her new home, joining four other dogs who already live there.

On Little Red’s Facebook page her new owner reports:

Little continues to amaze me. She actually got up on one of the couches & slept the entire night on a couch!! All of my dogs are couch potatoes so I want her to feel comfortable too. She did!! Now mind you, she hops right down if she thinks I’m looking at her. But it’s a start. The other dogs are teaching her. I just sit back & watch. She’s starting to blossom.

Best Friends Animal Society continues to work with the rest of what it calls the “Vicktory Dogs” at it’s animal sanctuary in Kanab, Utah.